Mandeville Canyon Road Rage Doctor Trial Set for 9/17

Earlier this morning the trial was set for People vs Christopher Thompson, the "Road Rage Doctor" who caused a crash with two cyclists over Fourth of July weekend in 2008 in Mandeville Canyon. The case against Thompson will begin on September 17 at the LAX Courthouse.

For a quick refresher, witnesses state that during a July 4th training ride along Mandeville Canyon, Dr. Christopher Thompson, not to be confused with Dr. Alex Thompson, began tailgating and harassing two cyclists that were riding abreast. As Thompson passed them, one of the cyclists made an angry gesture at him. The good doctor responded by cutting the cyclists off and slamming on his breaks. Pictures of the incapacitated cyclists and the bloody hole left in the back of Thompson's window became a rallying cry for cyclists and created a media storm after they were first posted at LAist.

Outraged cyclists have been attending all of the criminal pre-trial hearings against Thompson and provided details to each other. Through his attorneys, Thompson has maintained his innocence and that this crash was just an "accident."

I’ve been trying to attend as much as I can, but it’s difficult to say what the exact order of testimony is because of the availability of the defense’s witnesses.

However, the judge gave the jury a heads up yesterday. He told them that they would hear from the defense’s witnesses Tuesday and Wednesday and closing arguments possibly at the end of Wednesday carrying over into Thursday. The case should be submitted to the jury for deliberation by Thursday. He also noted that the court would be closed on Friday.

DJwheels

Dr. Thompson took the stand today for the last 10 minutes of the day before the court recessed. He mostly described his background, education and the early years of his career as an emergency room physician.

His testimony will resume tomorrow morning at 10:30 am. The defense attorney, Peter Swarth, expects to take about 2 hours for his direct examination. The prosecutor, Mary Stone, also expects to take another two hours for cross examination. Thompson’s testimony will likely take all of the day, and closing arguments should begin Thursday morning.

Road Sharer

It’s ironic that Dr. Thompson’s testimony is that he was trying to enforce the law against the riders (by stopping to take a photograph). I don’t believe that story, but the irony is that both the riders and the driver seemed to believe they had some divine right to have their own way on the road and enforce it against others. We see this all the time, and sometimes we are guilty of it ourselves.

People drive exactly the speed limit in the left lane, playing cop by preventing drivers behind from speeding. The drivers behind react by passing on the right, often unsafely. Then the blocking driver feels even more justified because that other driver is obviously a total maniac. On rare occasions I’ve played one role or the other, and I’m not proud of it. Almost all of us have, if our memory is honest.

Folks, don’t take aggressive action on the road against other drivers or riders you think are being selfish. Don’t take passive aggressive action either. It’s stupid, it’s counterproductive, and it increases the danger to third parties on the road, as it did to me in the example I posted at #39.

Keep your outrage to yourself. Be mature. Don’t yell, don’t flip people off, don’t tailgate, and don’t block. That’s what it means to be a road sharer.

cardiacgerm

I hope the medical board strips him of his license to practice medicine…His attempt to reason out of this incomprehensible act is just ridiculous…stopping to take a picture when he was fully aware of how close he was from the cyclists (riding downhill) ….a person with this type of mentality shouldn’t practice medicine…

janulrich

I’m so happy this “Doctor” was found guilty today. He should go to prison for three years. Onea year for each lie he told while under oath.

Lie 1. “I pulled over to take pictures of the cyclist, not to harm them”
Lie 2. “I never said to the police officer that I wanted to teach them a lesson”
Lie 3. “It was somebody else that herrassed the two cyclists in another incedent in March of 2008″ (Those cyclists identified the Docter from a lineup and by the make and model of his car)

In addition to that he should pay the two victims $100.000 each for their injufies now that he probably doesn’t have to pay his horrible lawyer.

MarkingMySpot

It sounds to me as if the bicycle rider’s were just as much at fault in this incident as the doctor was. It is fairly obvious that this incident is a two way street, so both are at fault. Car wants to get around bicycle..bicycle does not allow car past…exchanges comments, nasty remarks, finger warnings, verbal threats. However, in the scope of things, regardless of who is at fault, the car will always outweigh and out maneuver a bicycle. I do not feel that this doctor should have his medical license taken away, as I am sure that his patients will tell you he is a saint in his practice. I am not saying that these gentleman should have been injured either, but in retrospect, they should have remained subdued and focused on thier bicycle riding instead of trying to agitate or incite this incident, which was very clear that is what they were doing.

Word On The Street

“With 6 to 7 million cars registered in LA County, it's really laughable to hear the supposedly most progressive thinkers around on the topic go for reducing the number of autos by a mere 100,000 by 2020! Why not 3.5 million? Cut the damn things in half.”